6000 Miles: A Love Story in London
by Claudia Reese
Summary: She was given 3 months to find her own suitable husband or else she will marry under contract. She travels to England, thinking that the most suitable partner would be an English gentleman. So what happens when she meets not-gentleman Eriol in London?
1. Not A Gentleman

Hey guys! It's me again, Claudia :D *suddenly gets thrown at by tomatoes* Okay, I think I deserved that for posting another multichapter fic when _A Prince for a Price_ isn't even finished yet. Teehee, forgive me? ^^; I just had to start on this fic otherwise the whole idea would get away from me and I wouldn't be able to successfully write this and share this with you guys! :-

Anyway, Eriol and Tomoyo would be a bit OC here and I tweaked their personalities a bit but I think they will do just fine :D I hope you like this one! ^^

P.S. I'm not from London, nor have I been anywhere in Europe… except in my dreams *sniff*, so all of the things I wrote are fictional, unless stated so. :)

* * *

**6000 Miles: A Love Story in London**

_She was given 3 months to find her own suitable husband or else she will marry under contract. She travels to England, thinking that the most suitable partner would be an English gentleman. So what happens when she meets not-gentleman Eriol in London?_

* * *

**Chapter 1  
**Not A Gentleman

* * *

"Seriously Sakura, I can't believe I let my mom talk me into this! It's like I'm being exiled just so I could find a husband."

"Oh come on, don't be so negative about it, Tomoyo. Who knows, you might find the perfect husband in London! And even more plus points for that handsome British look. Besides, you're the one who chose to go to Europe anyway."

Meet Tomoyo Daidouji, 20 years old, a young lady blessed with stunning looks and excellent talents. An unconscious flip of her dark tresses, men would easily fall in love with her; even the slightest look from her sparkling amethyst eyes would make any man want to be her boyfriend; and not to mention the long list of skills she have mastered: singing, fashion designing, photography and videography, etc. would make any man easily worship her and kiss the ground she's walking on.

Many have tried but failed.

Because if there was anything the Daidouji beauty wasn't: she wasn't, or _isn't_, interested in having a boyfriend—much less get married soon. She was too focused on her work to settle in a commitment right now. She did try to have a boyfriend once but it was a complete disaster: she was always late on dates, most of the time she forgot that she even has a date, she couldn't reply to sweet, mushy messages with the same kind of emotions and she rarely answers calls because of her work.

And that's what scared her mother: the current head of the Daidouji Corp, Sonomi Daidouji.

She was scared that with the way Tomoyo's been acting lately, there might be a day when she wakes up that Tomoyo's already above 40 years old and is still single! And that really worried her. In her perspective, she needed to learn that happiness does not only mean the success of everything you do, but also it is to share your happiness with others especially with a lifelong partner. And besides, Sonomi's not getting any younger and she did want to have grandchildren soon.

That's when Sonomi hatched a plan.

Tomoyo was currently talking to her best friend, Sakura Kinomoto, on the phone while packing her stuff to get ready for her trip, telling her about how stupid the plan was and how much work she's going to pause due to this "vacation" as her mother called it.

"Yeah well, it was my mother who said that I should go out and explore and not only be limited with Japanese men. She even threatened to close all of my boutiques if I lay even another foot in Japan if the time she planned still hasn't expired." Sakura could feel her friend was rolling her eyes as she told the story. The auburn-haired girl was currently lying on her bed, lifting weights as they speak.

Sakura gave a giggle. "Would she really close _all_ your shops, Tomoyo?"

"You don't know my mother."

**Flashback**

The raven-haired heiress was currently in her dress boutique, _Amethyst_, working on a new dress design. Her assistants were also present and did their job pretty well, or so Tomoyo would comment. Everything was peaceful until her mother suddenly barged in the store.

"Oh Tomoyo!" Sonomi called as she walked towards her daughter's sketching desk and slammed her palms on the table, smirking as she successfully got Tomoyo's attention with the loud bang.

"Yes?" Tomoyo looked up and asked.

"You're going on vacation," the reddish brown haired woman stated as a matter-of-factly. This made Tomoyo blink and look at her mother, thinking it was some kind of joke. "Don't give me that look, young lady. You are going out of Japan for 3 months!"

"What!" Tomoyo exclaimed. Her mother had that business face on and she knew she was serious.

Dead serious.

"You heard me, but it's not going to be any ordinary vacation, sweetheart," Sonomi winked. "You are going to find yourself a suitable husband and you are not going back until you already found one."

"Mother! You are joking!" Tomoyo said with her eyes wide with shock.

"I am most certainly not. Three months is actually the _minimum_ time you'll be there. You can stay there as long as you like until you find yourself a good man. It's either that or I'll have you marry one of my clients' son."

Tomoyo gulped. She certainly did _not_ want to get married with some stranger her mother picked out for her! If anything, she wanted to get married for love, not for _blackmail._

"But—"

"You can try to go back as many times as you want, dear," Sonomi said. "But remember, the number of attempts you get back to Japan, it is equivalent to the number of your shops that will be closed."

"Mother, that's not fair!"

"Of course it is, Tomoyo. I'm just doing this because my precious daughter has been working so hard that she forgot to go out there and find love. You're 20 years old, dear. You're _supposed_ to look for a good man, not work yourself to death. That's _my_ job!" Sonomi explained.

"I'll find one, but not right _now._"

"How long are you going to make me wait? I tried, Tomoyo, I really did. I set you up with tons of dates and marriage interviews but you only showed up once and you were even late! I don't want you to suddenly wake up one day to find that your beauty has faded and you can no longer do as much work as you can without a husband to take care of you and share your pain." Sonomi sighed. "And I want to have grandchildren soon. You know I can only expect that from you, you're my _only child._"

Tomoyo puffed out her cheeks in frustration and sighed. She understood why her mom wanted her to do this but she can't just leave her shops like that!

"Don't worry dear, I'll have expert managers to handle your shops while you're gone."

"But three months is a very long time, mother." Tomoyo said worriedly.

Sonomi just shook her head. "Of course not! I actually think it's enough time for you to go around and meet someone special. It's also a great opportunity for you to rest from all your work, you know. You need to calm down sometimes, Tomoyo dear."

The raven-haired girl bit her lip. Her mother wasn't going to accept 'no' for sure so she whispered the only other option she had.

"Okay."

**End of Flashback**

Tomoyo heard her best friend laugh from the other line while she just sighed.

"Oh cheer up Tomoyo, any girl would want to be in your position right now: an all expense paid trip to Europe for 3 months just to look for a boyfriend!"

"Would you rather go than me then?"

"Tempting, but no. You know how Syaoran is and I love him with all my heart!"

The heiress just rolled her eyes again. It was lucky for her to say, she's already hooked with that Chinese boyfriend of hers. She didn't need to worry about her future and stuff.

"Why England over America again?" Sakura inquired.

Tomoyo smiled. The other night, Sakura came over and Tomoyo told her everything about her mother's deal. As much as she didn't want to, they listed countries under the category: _countries with men that can be labelled as the 'most suitable husband'_ _except Japan._

It was kind of a fun game though, the heiress admits. They listed a lot of countries like the USA, Singapore, Hong Kong (Tomoyo was about to protest but Sakura pressed on the idea that Chinese men are great husbands, but Tomoyo knew it was just because it was Syaoran's hometown), Australia, Brazil, South Korea, England, etc. It was a very long list but the top three countries they decided upon were USA, England, and Hong Kong (again because of Sakura).

And the reason why England was chosen was because of, once again, Tomoyo's mother.

She entered the room to call the two for dinner and that's when she heard the top three countries and answered, "Oh definitely England!" and England it is.

Tomoyo didn't mind though. _It's not like it's going to make the deal any shorter or better if I choose the other countries_.

"I like England anyway; I actually like mother's choice. People there are really respectful and nice. Maybe I could find the perfect husband there." The heiress said, desperately trying hard to close and lock one of her bags and she was done.

"So why not Paris? Isn't it the so-called city of love?" Sakura asked.

"Exactly Sakura, everyone's going to Paris because of that idea and so I'm not going there because most likely all good men are already gone." Tomoyo giggled and she heard Sakura join in from the other line as well.

"That's true, but it's really funny to hear that you're going to travel over 6000 miles just to find a husband. But yeah, I hear London men are real gentlemen!" her friend laughed. "Hey listen, I got to go. Dad's calling me to dinner already. What time's your flight?"

"Um," Tomoyo looked at the clock. "11:30pm. I need to go already go there in an hour."

"Alright, tell me if you already landed. Sorry if I won't be there to see you off, Tomoyo."

"It's okay," and they both hung up.

Tomoyo threw the phone on her bed and plopped down beside it as well. She sighed and stared at the ceiling.

_Will I really find the perfect husband in England?_

* * *

"Good morning, thank you for flying Japan Airlines. Welcome to England! I hope you have a pleasant day."

Tomoyo smiled at the stewardess who greeted her as she was exiting the airplane. The whole 12 hour ride was exhausting. She was happy to finally get out of the plane, stretch her legs and breathe in fresh air. After getting her luggage, she hailed a cab and gave the driver the address she was going to live in.

The drive was long and smooth and it made Tomoyo feel sleepy during the ride. As she was about to sleep, the driver stopped the cab hinting the rider that it already has arrived to the destination. The heiress paid her fare and got out of the cab, the driver got out as well to assist her get her luggage out of the trunk. Tomoyo felt grateful to the driver as he did his job.

After the driver left, Tomoyo turned around and was shocked. The driver dropped her off to an apartment building all right, but everything would've been so dandy if he dropped her off at the _right_ building. She knew it was the wrong one because she has already been to the building she was supposed to live in many times. She looked at a nearby street sign and it read, _Baker Street_. She groaned, she clearly said "Berkeley Square" and not what the sign said.

Tomoyo dragged her bags to the side as she tried to hail a cab once more but to no avail. It seems like a busy day in London and most cabs were full.

"Look out!" the raven-haired girl suddenly turned to the direction of the call but she didn't have enough time to step aside just like what the call said.

And of course this only led to one thing.

Bam!

"Ow," Tomoyo winced. The large impact hit her hard as she crashed with a guy riding in a bicycle. Apparently, according to Tomoyo, the rider didn't know how to hit his breaks causing him to hit her straight, making both of them crash on the floor along with the guy's bike and Tomoyo's bags.

"Oh god, I'm—"

"Jeez, are you for real? I did warn you to step aside but you just watched me hit you!"

Well! The nerve of this guy!

Tomoyo wasn't quite expecting that actually. She was expecting him to help her up, like any man would, and apologize for the accident. But _no_, he just _had_ to lecture her like that in public, huh?

_He didn't even bother to help me up!_ The heiress groaned and helped herself up; clearly the man who just hit her wasn't planning on helping her. Tomoyo grabbed her bags and stood them up once again, while the man who had bluish-black hair stood his bicycle as well, but he was still bending down, seemingly to be looking for something else.

"Well, excuse me for apologizing, _kind_ sir." Tomoyo commented with a great hint of sarcasm in her voice as she dusted off her skirt and coat, thankfully she didn't have any wounds or scratches all over. She looked at the man beside her and noticed that his attention was on something else than her. "Are you okay?" She even managed to ask.

"Look, I don't really have much time right now so could you please help me find my glasses?" The man asked, quite impolitely might I add.

_You have got to be kidding me, _was Tomoyo's thought. _He dare not apologize and now he's asking me to help me find something with that tone of voice!_ The heiress was about to refuse until the other cheered with happiness after finally finding his eyeglasses. He finally stood up, adjusting his spectacles and Tomoyo looked at him, with very surprised eyes in fact.

_How can such a handsome man be so rude?_

Tomoyo couldn't help but stare. She was sure that he was just around her age and her guess that he's 22 years old. He had such fair skin, the deepest shade of blue eyes she had ever seen, his cheeks were stained with red more likely due to the humid temperature and his soft blue hair that she was tempted to touch. She didn't even notice how long and hard she was staring until her object of observation moved and grabbed his bike once again.

"Hey, wait!" Tomoyo called.

"What is it?" the stranger asked.

"Aren't you going to apologize for bumping into me?"

The handsome man looked deep in thought as she turned to her again with a very straight, "no".

_What! Who is this guy really?_ Tomoyo glared at him, obviously not pleased with what she's hearing or seeing. She was never the kind of lady to hold grudges or even glare at someone for a really long time but it looks like someone just made her exception list.

The guy was about to leave until the heiress called his attention again. "You crashed into me which made me and my bags fall to the floor, you were rude to me by suddenly lecturing me which I most certainly did not deserve, you didn't even help me up, you again rudely asked me to help you look for your eyeglasses and you dare _not_ apologize to a lady like me?" And her ladylike manners were thrown out the window, her accusations emphasizing every word.

The man in front of her sighed and admitted defeat. He knew he won't be able to get rid of this woman sooner that he thought.

"Fine, let's get this over with. How about I'll just take you to wherever you're supposed to go and we'll call it even. Deal?" was his proposition.

"I won't accept that until you apologize." The heiress crossed her arms, still glaring at him.

"You're one stubborn girl, aren't you? Wait a minute; you're not from here aren't you?" The man looked at her luggage and nodded. "Based from your accent and luggage, I could say you just arrived and you're lost."

"Thank you for noticing that and for making my arrival here an instant displeasure for me. I doubt that you're even from here as well!"

The man just gave a chuckle. "Quite the contrary, my lady; I've been living here all my life. You should even be grateful that someone like me who's very familiar around this place crashed into you, otherwise you would really have a hard time looking for the place you were going to." He smirked which irked the raven-haired lass even more. She knew he was right but she definitely wasn't going to admit it.

"I don't think I'd be grateful for someone as rude as you. How could a man such as yourself be even from here? Shouldn't English men be an instant gentleman especially towards women? Isn't that how you were raised?" But all of the things she said made her companion laugh louder which just annoyed her more.

"Seriously, what century are you from? What pocketbooks have you been reading that made you think that every man is like that? I'd say you're a hopeless romantic woman." This just made Tomoyo's cheeks turn even redder due to anger and humiliation for the annoying man in front of her.

"You mustn't definitely be from around here, you're not a gentleman and that's that. I'd still stand by good ideology that English men _are_ gentlemen and you are just an English man who doesn't deserved to be even labelled as a gentleman. Your personality makes me think otherwise of what true British men are, _sir._"

"Think what you want then. If you really don't want me to help you, then that's your fault already." The guy made a move to ready his bicycle again.

"I—"

And if Tomoyo's day couldn't get any worse, rain had started to pour. Hard. Very hard in fact that it soaked her whole body at once. The guy looked like he didn't mind though. The hard rain just made his smirk grow larger after knowing how much Tomoyo would definitely need her right now.

"So you were saying something about not needing someone like me?" And Tomoyo could just kick him from that statement.

Sighing in defeat, Tomoyo gave a small bow to the stranger and said, "Please take me to Berkeley Square."

The man just laughed and nodded. Tomoyo bent down to grab her things until something shiny caught her eye.

It was a necklace.

The raven-haired lass bent down to pick it up and found it was a locket with a name 'Eriol' engraved in front. Curious, Tomoyo wondered out loud who Eriol is.

"Who's Eriol?"

Tomoyo was about to open the locket but the man behind her suddenly got out of his bike and snatched the necklace from her hands.

"I suppose you're Eriol, right?" Even under the pouring rain, Tomoyo still managed a giggle.

"Yes, and there goes my plan of never introducing myself because if I did, then it's going to create a higher chance of us meeting again." The guy named Eriol fumed, wearing the necklace around his neck as he spoke.

"Eriol, that's a weird name from a Londoner such as yourself," Tomoyo commented. "And don't worry, even if you told me your name without me finding it out accidentally, I wouldn't want to see you again either." She said.

"It's a long story; it's good to know we feel the same way then."

"Come to think of it, a weird name matches your weird hair color: blue. And really, you already had glasses and you still chose to crash into me." Tomoyo giggled which made Eriol frown.

"Are you just going to insult me all day because I don't really have much more time now since you still want a lift to your place, and the rain isn't making any of this easier," Eriol commented with an annoyed voice already.

"Thank you very much for your kindness then," the heiress said and picked up her bags and tried to attach some to the back of Eriol's bike, much to his dismay and a 'you're going to break my bike!', and rested the big one atop of her lap.

And they were off.

* * *

It's a great wonder how they were able to arrive in front of Tomoyo's building with just a bike for the both of them, with her bags attached everywhere, and it was raining very hard. To say that Eriol was tired was an understatement: he was _very_ exhausted. The English man fell down on the wet floor in front of the building, breathing heavily from the cycling he just did. It would be a great miracle if his bicycle was still alive after that ride, thankful that it was only a short ride from their origin.

"I don't suppose you want me to help you carry your bags to your apartment?" Eriol said panting, and he kicked himself mentally as to why he gave that suggestion, even _if_ he was very sarcastic about it.

"That would be lovely, thank you very much!" Tomoyo smiled as she watched the Londoner groan and got some of her bags.

Tomoyo opened the main door as she and Eriol entered the lobby, not really expecting him to "open the door for a lady" just like a good gentleman would, though torturing him like this was already enough for the heiress.

"Ah, Ms. Daidouji, I heard you were coming. Ah—" the landlady welcomed them and her words were cut off as she saw the predicament Eriol and Tomoyo were in, both soaking wet and the man looked dreadfully tired.

"I kind of had trouble going here but I'll be okay. Thank you, Ms. Joan," Tomoyo waved off the landlady's worry and just gave her a smile.

Joan, the landlady, still wasn't a bit convinced because of Eriol's look. She then offered, "Would you like to have Greg help you with your bags?"

Eriol was about to answer for her but Tomoyo beat him up to it, much to his dismay. "Oh, we're already fine. We can handle this. We'll be going up to my room now, thank you!"

She grabbed her keys and the heiress walked towards the elevator with Eriol not far behind. The landlady and her helper, Greg, just watched the two feeling uncomfortable themselves after looking at Eriol's poor condition and even hearing his complaints of 'dangerous woman' or 'evil woman dictator' while carrying Tomoyo's bags.

"Ms. Daidouji has instantly made a friend! I'm so happy for her!" was Ms. Joan's comment with a laugh similar to Tomoyo's high pitching one.

* * *

**End of chapter**

I love torturing Eriol for a change. Hehe. :3 This story is going to update longer because my main priority is still, _A Prince for a Price_. So what do you guys think? :D

Click the review button and tell me please! ^^

And yes, Baker Street and Berkeley Square are real roads in London :)

Love,  
Claudia


	2. A Lovely Backfire

**6000 Miles: A Love Story in London**

_She was given 3 months to find her own suitable husband or else she will marry under contract. She travels to England, thinking that the most suitable partner would be an English gentleman. So what happens when she meets not-gentleman Eriol in London?_

* * *

**Chapter 2  
**A Lovely Backfire

* * *

The apartment building was a nice and tidy place. It looked simple yet elegant. Sakura wondered how come Tomoyo didn't stay at the Daidouji house in London and decided to rent an apartment by herself. The raven-haired lass just shrugged it off saying that it's a bother if the house is too big for a person and it gets real lonely. The apartment she chose was very nice actually, perfect for a single tenant.

"We're here!"

And Eriol could hear the heavens open up when he heard those words.

Tomoyo took the keys from her pocket and tried to unlock the door in front of her but to no avail. She blinked, wondering how come the door won't open no matter how much she turns the keys around.

"Huh, that's weird. I'm pretty sure Ms. Joan gave me the right keys." She mumbled.

As she continued trying to open the door, Eriol was almost at his breaking point, his patience was already decreasing by a great amount every second, not to mention he was already shivering from the rain and was dead tired from all the bags he carried for the annoying lady in front of him. With all the stress building up, Eriol just simply threw the bags on the floor, not caring how disarray they looked, which earned him a hard glare from the Daidouji heiress.

"That's not very nice, you know," Tomoyo commented.

"Look, you should at least thank me for even bringing your luggage until here okay!" Eriol said, giving back the glare he was currently receiving.

The elevator doors opened and closed once again, and the rider walked out and to the direction of her apartment room.

"Ah! Eriol, is that you?"

Two heads turned towards the source of the voice and in front of them appeared a Chinese-looking woman with black hair tied up in two ponytails with a bun on top, her Chinese accent when she used English gave another hint as well.

Tomoyo blinked. Who is that girl? _She looks like the same age as me too._

"Meilin?" Eriol said.

The lady named Meilin grinned after confirming her friend was here. "Ni hao!" She grinned and waved.

_Yup! Definitely Chinese._ Tomoyo confirmed and continued to open the room once more.

Meilin approached the two and suddenly noticed something.

"Um, excuse me miss, but why are you trying to open my apartment?" Meilin blinked in wonder, pointing to the door in front of them and asked Tomoyo, reverting back to English once more.

"Eh?" Tomoyo smiled nervously while Eriol's face clearly showed he already wants to punch something, or some_one_. "Is this really your apartment? I thought this was room 8D." She said, checking her key once more and it _did_ say it was for room 8D.

Meilin laughed. "No silly, that's room 8C. The room to the right is 8D." She looked at the floor and noticed the luggage surrounding the two, and her eyes suddenly perked in delight. "Ah! You must be my new neighbour! Ms. Joan did mention about having a new tenant around here."

Tomoyo nodded. "My name's Tomoyo Daidouji, it's very nice to meet you." She gave a bow as a sign of greeting. "And I'm very sorry I got the room wrong. I didn't mean it, no wonder the key wasn't working!"

"That's all right. No worries, I'm Meilin Li. Ni hao!" Meilin said. "Say, are you Japanese? Your name's Japanese, right?" She asked.

"Yes, it is."

"Really, I thought you were Chinese but I guess that's a common mistake. I speak Japanese though." Meilin said, speaking the last sentence using the Japanese language this time which made Tomoyo's eyes wide and very happy. At least she finally met someone she could speak comfortably with, not that she's not very comfortable with English; she's actually fluent in both but everything's easier when using your first language, right?

"Wow, that's great! I'm really happy!" Tomoyo said, using Japanese language as well.

And both girls continued to converse in Japanese, with the door, bags, and even Eriol already left behind and forgotten, much to the Londoner's dismay.

"Me too! I've been dying to use an Asian language for quite some time now, it's getting kind of tiring to use English, you know?" Meilin laughed.

Tomoyo nodded. "I know what you mean,"

"AHEM!" and both girls looked at the call, it was Eriol.

"Oh right, I forgot. I'm sorry about that." Tomoyo apologized, suddenly remembered what they were supposed to do the moment they entered the hall.

The heiress walked to the next room, this time it's the right 8D room, unlocked it and was happy it opened. She walked inside and what appeared in view really made her smile, almost forgetting the wet predicament she and Eriol were currently in.

The apartment was fully furnished, just like she said when she made a call to the apartment building days before she left. It was a simple condo with a modern and elegant theme, with a single bedroom, a big enough bathroom, a spacious kitchen she could work on and the living room and dining room were perfect for someone like her.

"Would you like to come in?" Tomoyo turned around to ask her companions.

"Sure!" Meilin replied gleefully. "I'll help you carry a bag too!" She added as she took one of the bags on the floor and took it with her as she entered Tomoyo's condo. "Wow, you're place looks really nice, Daidouji."

It didn't look like Eriol had a choice though so he grabbed the remaining bags and entered the apartment as well.

Tomoyo placed the bag she was carrying to a space on the floor which Meilin and Eriol followed suit.

"Thank you very much for helping me, Meilin!"

"You're welcome!"

"Hey, what about me?" Eriol practically whined, obviously upset for being forgotten.

"Speaking of which, why are you both soaking wet anyway? You're going to ruin your new carpet, Daidouji, if you guys keep on dampening the floor." Meilin noted.

The heiress suddenly remembered that little idea and opened one of her suitcases and got towels for the both of them. "Here you go, Eriol," and the Londoner accepted the towel immediately.

"Wow, all your stuff looks brand new." The Chinese lass commented as she looked around the place, eyes sparkling with the different items present. She walked towards the kitchen and noticed how it was already fully stocked with different ingredients and food ready to be cooked. "Even your kitchen is fully stocked. Did you get Ms. Joan and the others to do this?" She asked, closing the refrigerator door.

Tomoyo nodded while drying her hair with the towel. "Before I left Japan, I called Ms. Joan and asked that favour for me. My mom also had her workers who were currently here to furnish the whole place to have it ready once I arrive." She explained.

Meilin let out a low whistle. "Rich kid," she commented to which Tomoyo just shrugged. She wasn't really one to boast about their family wealth and fortune and would like it if people recognized her own talents, and not just someone who came from the Daidouji clan.

"Ha-choo!" Eriol suddenly sneezed causing him to get the attention of the two ladies.

"Oh yeah, the both of you would get sick if you don't change into any clothes soon," Meilin said worriedly.

Tomoyo did feel guilty about not being a nice host today so she went inside the bathroom and took one of the bathrobes and handed it to the blue-haired lad. "Eriol please, wear this for now. I don't think I have any clothes that you would like right now for all of them are feminine clothes."

Eriol just frowned and decided not to accept the clothing. "I'm all right. I'm already used to this so anyway, I don't think I have any reason more to stay here so I might as well go." He said and made a move to leave.

Although he _was_ being a bit rude to her awhile ago, Tomoyo still couldn't help but feel guilty with the way she was treating her. After all, she was a Daidouji lady and a Daidouji lady never takes out her revenge on someone for far too long. So in an attempt to give the Londoner a proper thank you, she stopped him from leaving by calling out his name again.

"Eriol, wait!"

Eriol looked around from the call and raised a brow. "What is it now? Look lady, I've been having a very unlucky day because of you so if you don't mind, I'd want to have my normal life back and get away from all this madness." He stated.

Meilin looked at him, wondering why he said those mean things knowing that he's not really the type of person to do that but just remained her mouth shut with a sweatdrop. She knew she had to stop this from turning into a fight but it looked like a start of something interesting.

After Eriol said those words, Tomoyo's plans of getting back to him nicely suddenly flew out the window. She suddenly felt pissed at those harsh words that the idea of giving him a nice hot chocolate and letting him stay until he's dry doesn't look like something deserving for the rude man present.

"Look, _Eriol," _Tomoyo started, eyes already twitching as her anger for him slowly started to go up once again. "I wanted to be _nice_ and thank you properly for helping me get here and by bringing my stuff here but…"

"But?" Eriol raised a brow.

Tomoyo's lips slowly curved into a smirk as a bright idea entered her mind.

"I was supposed to offer you some hot coffee or hot chocolate to keep you warm and possibly let you stay for awhile until the rain stops but I have a better idea in mind that I think you would like," she smiled suggestively as she slowly walked towards Eriol and gently traced the collar of his shirt.

"What…What are you doing!" The blue-eyed man exclaimed, his face slowly turning red from the surprising ministrations.

"I'm going to show you how we properly say thank you in Japan," Tomoyo murmured against his lips as she stood up on her toes, grabbed his collar with great force and kissed Eriol's lips fully. This action earned a surprise gasp from Meilin who was watching behind with amused eyes, and Eriol eyes widened as well due to the sudden contact of their lips.

The heiress pulled away with a triumphant smirk and teasing eyes as well. She thought that this would be a great way to get back at the rude man by showing him a bit of rudeness as well by just suddenly kissing him by force. Her smirk turned back into her loving smile but her eyes still continued to show the same emotions.

"Well, thank you Eriol for helping me with everything!" She greeted and turned her back on him and went towards her luggage, hoping to already unpack.

Her thoughts were suddenly intruded however, when she suddenly felt a strong arm grabbed her by the waist and heard a whisper that sent shivers down her spine, "Then let me show you how we say 'you're welcome' here in London." And Eriol forcibly turned her around to meet his face once again and this time, it was his turn to press his lips against hers.

"Oh my, oh my, I guess I'll leave you two for awhile then. Just call me if you need anything, Tomoyo. I'll just be in my apartment next door. I'll see you later neighbour!" Meilin shrugged and waved her goodbyes, taking the scene as just one of those everyday things and left the room to go back to her own apartment.

The door closed and Eriol still didn't let go of the Daidouji princess in his arms. He could feel her struggling against him but he knew he had to change that. He smirked against their lips and he slowly nibbled her lower lip, his tongue licking them as well. He took advantage of the moment when Tomoyo suddenly gasped, forcing his tongue to enter in her hot cavern and tasting her sweetness inside.

Tomoyo couldn't restrain any longer as she let her hormones go with it and kiss him back. Her eyes slowly closed and savoured the moment, actually enjoying the unwanted, surprise kiss from him. Unbeknownst to her, her hands crept their way up to Eriol's damp neck and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer. Their tongues continued to dance in battle, both wanting dominance but Eriol still won in the end. He pulled her close, hearing her moan once in awhile allowing him to smirk in his mind knowing how much she was enjoying this right now.

Their hot kiss continued until Eriol's hand found its way to creep up under her wet blouse and feel the flesh of her soft skin there. This earned him another moan from the lovely heiress until Tomoyo's eyes widened when she suddenly felt him unlocking her bra. She gasped, pulling away from the Londoner but it seems that he was successful in taking off the lock from her undergarment based from the evidence already found on the floor.

Eriol smirked and glazed his thumb across the corner of his lips. "Wow, Asian women sure can kiss." He remarked and his brow suddenly lifted after seeing what's on the floor and picked it up. "And you do have a preference for black strapless bras, that I am pleased."

Tomoyo gasped as he watched him suddenly folding the said garment and stowing it away in his pocket. "Hey, what are you doing! Give it back, that's mine!" She shrieked and got closer to him, desperate in taking back her undergarment.

"Oh no, you won't. Besides, I now have the perfect excuse to see you again." He grinned evilly.

Tomoyo narrowed her eyes at him while still trying to reach for his pocket. "I thought you never want to see me again?" She hissed.

"After that hot kiss you just gave me, I wouldn't mind seeing you again and again, _To-mo-yo_." He teased, emphasizing her name that he learned awhile ago when she introduced herself to Meilin.

"That's so unfair, Eriol! Come on, give it back already." She continued to whine.

"You can go ahead and continue this game, Tomoyo. I myself am actually enjoying the position we're currently in," he winked. That's when Tomoyo noticed how much close she already got to him, so close that her soft chest was already pressing against his toned one which obviously pleased the English lad. Tomoyo slowly walked away with her blushing cheeks.

Eriol whistled. "It's also a good thing you took off your coat once we got here." He winked and Tomoyo blushed even harder, suddenly noticing how her chest was already practically exposed to him especially now that her bra was stolen leaving her torso to be only covered by a now see through white top. Her blouse wasn't really helping in covering much but rather, gave even more emphasis to the nice curves she has due to its damp condition.

"You're a pervert, you know that," she glared at him which just earned him a laugh from the man.

"Yes, but you like this pervert, right?" he teased. "I like you Tomoyo, all you and your C32." He threw her a wink once more and his statement just infuriated the heiress even more.

"That's sexual harassment! I could sue you, you know!"

Eriol shrugged. "Go ahead, but I do think you'll have a problem defending it in court because you know, _you enjoyed it_. Don't even try to deny it, lady. I knew you did with the way you reacted."

And this just made Tomoyo shut up.

"Well, you just made my day a very interesting one now; so what about that coffee and staying over?"

Tomoyo just got pissed even more. She has definitely gone mad after even considering thanking him properly. "You get out!" She said in a very serious tone.

Eriol may be a rude, perverted man but he knows when to stop though. He just gave a small chuckle and said, "Yes, ma'am. I'll see you around then! Bye," he walked towards the door and closed it behind him, smirking as he felt the piece of undergarment still inside his pants.

Once he got out, the heiress finally let out a big breath and fell on the floor on her knees. She never knew how much stress she's been building up until the man finally left her apartment.

"I can't believe it! I got lost, got seriously wet, and met the most obnoxious, perverted, rude, and not-gentleman in London!" she exclaimed.

With a groan, she stood up from her place and went inside her bathroom to take a nice, long bubble bath. Hopefully that would help her relieve her stress a bit.

_Hopefully tomorrow will already be a good day._

* * *

**End of chapter**

And there's goes a great idea of changing the rating of this story to M. Lol. Still thinking about it though, but I think it would be better if I did ne? :3

Reviews please! ^_^

**Tina, James Birdsong and Tomo-chan:** Thank you all for your reviews! :D

Love,  
Claudia


	3. The Game of Luck

**Author's Notes:** Finally I had time to update this story. I just realized that the last time I did was around 3 months ago and that is not cool, I know. Thank you so much for all the readers of this fic! I'm glad you guys liked it. Ü

An important note though, from this chapter onwards, this is already going to be written in Tomoyo's POV because for me, it looked like it was perfect to be written in Tomoyo's perspective, don't you? :D And Tomoyo's character is a bit different from her usual goody personality. I just wanted to try a little change that's all. It's the same for Eriol's character too! Except for the usual mischievousness and all. Ü So without further ado ~

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Game of Luck**

It was a fresh new day.

I woke up feeling different, but a good kind of different. The room that entered my view once I opened my eyes made me remember that I wasn't in the Daidouji manor anymore, but rather in my apartment in Orchard Residences—the place I'll be staying at here in London. I rubbed my eyes to adjust them from the blinding morning sun and groaned, enjoying the feeling of my new mattress.

I sighed in deeply. A smile on my face as I recalled the moment I left Japan, still arguing with my mother for forcing me to stay here for such a ridiculous search for a husband, until I finally reached this place. It was funny at first until a frown replaced my smile, remembering the one thing that immediately made me upset after landing here.

That perverted four-eyed freak!

Yes, right now calling him as such is already a satisfying feeling for me because I would not address him in any other way because he is number 1, a huge not-gentleman pervert and number 2, a four-eyed freak who still bumps into people even if he already wears glasses.

I breathed in deeply again, sitting up on my bed and putting a hand over my chest.

Okay, easy girl, easy. Just remember what you always do during stressful times like this: breathe in positive energy, breath out negativity.

That wasn't hard now, was it?

After doing my exercise a few more times, the smile was back on my face and I decided to greet my morning ahead. I stood up and spread my curtains, engulfing of what the view of the London city gave me. From my bedroom window, I could already see a few people taking a jog at a nearby park, others walking to their school or work.

It's such a nice morning. Maybe having breakfast outside would be a great idea.

With this in mind, I walked towards the bathroom and did my morning rituals. After doing so, I changed into a nice beige cotton dress, the sleeves reaching my elbows and slipped on my matching beige flats. Picking my purse, I walked out of my apartment and felt excited for a new day ahead.

Walking towards the elevator I saw Meilin, and I know she saw me too because right now she was waving at me and greeting me with a smile.

"Heya neighbor!" She grinned. "You're up early on a Wednesday morning."

I greeted her back and said, "Good morning Li. I'm just an early riser, are you the same too?"

"Li's too formal. Call me Meilin instead," she said. "And no, I hate waking up early but my morning shift isn't granting my wish."

"Meilin then, Tomoyo's also good for me." I nodded. "Oh I see, do you mind me asking where you work?"

The 'ding' of the elevator alerted us that the shaft has already reached our floor. We stepped inside and continued our conversation.

"Not at all, I work as waitress at a nearby diner. It's not my ideal job but it pays the bills so," she shrugged ending her statement.

"Oh," I smiled. I actually admire hardworking women like her, independent ladies like her deserves respect, that I'm sure.

"So where are you headed to?" She asked. The elevator made the 'ding' sound again and we walked out of the shaft and into the lobby of the ground floor.

"It's such a nice morning; I'll go and have some breakfast outside. Would you like to join me?"

She made a pout and sadly shook her head, "I'd love to 'Moyo, but my work isn't letting me. Maybe next time I could find time for you. How about this weekend?" She offered with an excited voice that I simply couldn't refuse.

"That would be lovely, thank you Meilin."

"Jeez, have you always been so formal with words?" She joked and whined. Formal? I'm only formal when I'm saying things, you should try to read my mind and you might take back your words.

I giggled at her response and simply said, "I'm sorry. I'll try to speak normal."

"If you can," she grinned at me, as if challenging me to do so. "By the way, what happened to you and Eriol after I left last night? You didn't jump him, did you?" She teased.

"Ugh, seriously that's not even funny at all." I frowned. "But no, I didn't. Sorry to disappoint you; I'm really hoping I won't see that perverted guy ever again!" I heard Meilin laugh at this but my wish was serious though.

"You know, this city isn't as big as you think so I wouldn't keep my hopes up." She gave another grin and I just sighed, still praying that I won't see that Eriol guy again. How dare he take my bra without permission!

The both of us exited the building after saying our greetings to Ms. Joan and we went our separate ways.

* * *

Mornings in London have always been like art to me. The fresh air, the happy people, the lovely nature—it's somehow a great contrast to Tokyo's really serious and busy streets filled with overworking people and tall buildings. I'm not saying that Tokyo isn't beautiful at all but you can really see the difference between the two countries if you look carefully.

When was the last time I came here? I'm not really sure. But I do remember that the first time I came here was when my mom asked me to come with her and being five years old, who was I to refuse my mother? I couldn't recall much about what happened then, but I do have some faint images of people I've met before, young and old English people alike.

I passed by the park and I smiled at the view of children playing at the sands and others jogging at rounds. There were also people who were crossing the streets, some rushing to catch their time at their work and school place.

I continued crossing street after street that I never realized how far I've already gone. I didn't mind though, the morning felt great and it felt nice to take a walk or two sometimes. As I walked by yet another large building, my steps suddenly halted and my eyes went wide at the sign that caught my eyes.

There, right in front of me was the London Fine Arts Academy. Wow.

Okay, so it's not really my first time seeing the academy, it's just that ever since I was young, I've always considered studying here. They have a great reputation for creating excellent fashion designers, but the same could also be said to Tokyo's Fine Arts Academy, right? I know it's a big deal to have a foreign diploma and all that but schools in Tokyo haven't been so bad, if I can say so myself.

The London academy stood there in all its pride and glory, as if mocking me and challenging me to once again go inside and look what I have been missing all my life.

I gulped. What _have_ I been missing in my life? I have boutiques now, more than one actually. My certificates and plaques of recognition have already made me one of the great designers in Japan so is there something in this London school that could give me more than that? I'm not being boastful about my achievements, it's just the state of being curious that's all.

So what have I been missing all my life?

"You have got to be kidding me."

And for the second time that morning, my eyes widened but not for the same reason.

That voice. I _know_ that voice.

I closed my eyes and breathed for a second, until I turned around to look at what or _who_ have called my attention.

Then suddenly, I regretted even turning around. It was _him_.

That perverted four-eyed freak.

"You!" I exclaimed. _I _have got to be kidding _him?_ Maybe _he_ should have got to be kidding _me._

Morning wishes don't come true after all. He was standing there, right in front of me with that evil smirk on his face. Not to mention his lack of style—that black button up shirt and those denim jeans… wait, are those Armani? Okay moving on, he _does not _look great okay! It's just the morning wind that's all. That wind that's blowing his hair… perfectly. Oh whatever!

I still hate him. I'm showing I hate him by making that glare on my face stay until he gets the message that I still hate him for sexually harassing me yesterday.

Students were passing by and entering the school, I sure hope I'm not making a scene or anything because I'm not really fond of negative public attention.

"Surely you have been stalking me, Tomoyo?"

Ugh! How can he say that! And why should I be stalking him? It's not like he goes to school here… right? Right?

"Don't flatter yourself, you perverted four-eyed freak." I frowned.

He laughed. At me. He dare laughed and mocked my anger! Ugh.

"Such words coming from a lady, oh Asians." He gave a 'tsk' and shook his head.

"I don't think that's a very fair general judgment on my kind, Eriol. Although I bet you wouldn't be keen to hear what I have to say about _your_ kind." I retorted. Ha! How's that!

Okay, so maybe I'm not as ladylike on the inside but I swear I still have my breeding! Honest.

"What? Aren't we that whole gentleman thing? Those knight in shining armor English gentleman, as you say?"

Now my frown's deepening more and more, seriously I don't have time for this. Why is he so frustrating! "Again, don't flatter yourself because that's not really what I have in mind."

He smiled. "Then please do amuse me."

"No, thank you." I just crossed my arms and turned again, focusing my attention on the grand school in front of me while silently hoping he already left.

So for the second time in a row, my wish didn't come true because I see him coming close and finally stopped to stand beside me, also looking at the academy. His hands in his pocket, he then said, "Is there any reason you're staring at the school I'm going in? Seriously, I think you have been stalking me and found out that I take courses here."

No way! No freaking way! A guy like him _couldn't_ be studying here!

I guess my shock has been visible because the next thing I heard was his laughing voice again.

"Did I surprise you?"

Yes! But I'm not going to admit that. I wonder what he's taking here, not that I'm interested, just curious. Yeah, curious.

"I'm taking up Architecture, and some minor classes in Photography." He answered my mental question. I had to admit, those were pretty decent courses if you ask me. "Honestly though, I was already running late for my first class but you coming here seemed like a far more interesting sight compared to those board notes." He laughed again.

"Why didn't you just ride your bike instead of running here?" Oops, my curiosity slipped my tongue!

He raised a brow and ruffled my hair, I frowned. Okay, how dare he do that? Now it's not my fault his hand was sore after I slapped it.

"Looks like I need to remind a little somebody who was the cause of breaking my bike due to the amounts of bags she had."

"And it looks like I need to remind somebody to have his eyes checked again so he wouldn't just crash into other people!"

Very mature, I know, but he was asking for it! He laughed again, seriously is this guy crazy? I saw that he was about to say something else but someone suddenly called his attention.

"Hey Eriol, were you able to finish the homework Mr. Riggs gave us yesterday? Because I couldn't get a number right and I was hoping to—" the other guy stopped when he realized I was present. He turned to me and grinned, raising his hand to wave at me then patting Eriol's shoulders. "Jeez man, flirting so early in the morning?"

I rolled my eyes mentally and inwardly snorted. Flirting? Yeah right.

"Who'd want to flirt with this girl, Jake? And yes, I _was_ able to finish the homework last night." Eriol said.

So this guy's name was Jake. He has decent looks, if you ask me. He has the same height as Eriol, his naturally messy hair colored honey, and his eyes of a wonderful shade of gray. Jake looked like he has a nice built too, his muscle shirt decently clinging to his toned body.

I just realized I was too busy observing the man that I let Eriol's insult pass. Wait, what did he say again?

"Oh come on man, so you're saying you're not into her?" I heard Jake say. Wow, so it's true that British men are a hundred times more charming with their added accent. Good thing Eriol doesn't have one, not that I ever find him charming. No, never.

"No." Eriol stated.

"Well then," Jake grinned and gave another pat to Eriol's shoulders and pushed his way in between us. He stretched out his hand and greeted me, "Good morning, fair lady. I'm Jake Richards, a student here at the academy. I'm in the same class as Eriol for Architecture." He smiled.

Times like these aren't really the fondest, I was never really sure how to act when a guy comes to you like this but Daidouji lessons have always taught me to be polite and always greet people with a smile. Okay, my smile's ready so it's time to take his hand and accept the offered shake.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Tomoyo Daidouji. I just came here yesterday from Japan."

"The pleasure's all mine, Ms. Tomoyo, and welcome to London!" Okay, who was he to immediately call me by my—oh right, it's actually a part of Western tradition to already call new acquaintances by first names. At least he still has a proper prefix right. I kept my smile and nodded until he did the next unexpected thing: he didn't let go of my hand and raised it up to his lips instead! What!

I couldn't stop the blood that rose up to my cheeks. Why is my face so white really? Now it's going to be hard to explain why my face is so red at the contact.

"Um…" I mumbled, and awkwardly took my hand away from him.

But he continued to smile at me, is this what you really call a British gentleman welcome? Wow, totally different from Eriol's definitely. Wait a minute, where is he again?

I heard a groan from beside and then I realized Eriol was still standing there. I saw him roll his eyes and grabbed Jake's shirt from behind. "Jeez man, flirting so early in the morning?" I heard him say, mimicking what his friend has told him awhile ago.

"I'm just giving your beautiful friend here a warm welcome!" Jake laughed, trying to pull away from Eriol's grasp. "Come on man, let go! It's not like I did anything illegal right?" He whined.

"Do you guys really have to be so loud at this time of day?" Another guy came. I turned and saw him rubbing his ear, acting as if their fighting has been ruining his eardrum. And did I mention he doesn't look too bad either?

The newcomer looked like he spends some time at the gym too. His jet black hair cut in that nice boyish style and his eyes of deep green. Kind of reminds me of Sakura's eyes, oh I forgot to call her! I'll take note of that for later. He's taller than both Jake and Eriol and his skin almost as white as mine. Another friend, I suppose…?

He must've noticed that I've been observing him which earned me a look from him. Unlike Jake, he just gave me a straight stare and nodded at my presence.

"Yo."

"Um, hi." I said meekly. This guy looks cool too. His arms were crossed and he turned his attention back to his two friends.

"I'm sorry about those two, they're as childish as they can get." He sighed. Hearing that from a guy like him made me laugh, making him look at me again and give a small smile.

"Who are you calling childish, Luke!" Both Eriol and Jake yelled, the latter still being held by Eriol. And they said they weren't childish, how cute. I laughed at them again, finding the situation of two college classmates acting like children funny.

"The name's Lucas Rodriguez, I'm in the same classes as those two for Architecture. Half British, half Spanish, nice to meet you." He also stretched out his hand and I accepted it as well, shaking it.

"I'm Tomoyo Daidouji, Japanese. Nice to meet you too." I said. He just gave me smirk and let go of our hands, walking towards the two who were still bickering.

"Hey, get away from Tomoyo, Luke! I saw her first!" Jake whined from their position. I never knew this was a contest on who saw who first. Should I be flattered though? From where I'm standing, I just giggled at how silly they looked, even more now that the Luke guy meddled in and pulled the two away from each other.

"Come on guys, we're already late. I don't want to be scolded by Mrs. Dane again." Luke said exasperatedly, now letting go of his two friends who had frowns on their faces.

"Yeah, yeah," Eriol said tidying up his shirt and picking up his bag he left on the floor awhile ago.

Jake ran up to me again and said, "Will I be seeing you again, Ms. Tomoyo?" He had such a clumsy grin on his face that I couldn't help but smile back. What? Happiness is such a contagious thing, you know.

"We'll just see, I guess." It was a safe answer but it wasn't too bad now, was it?

Luke pulled him back again and dragged him inside the campus. "Come on Jake, you're already scaring the lady." This action made the brunette flap his arms animatedly while whining about how it's not fair and he doesn't mind to be late.

Now I'm left with Eriol again. Great. And I meant it in a not-so-great tone.

"Well, now you've met my friends. Your wish to be close and personal with me has come true." I heard him say from his side. The nerve of him.

"I don't have such wish, you know." I said.

"Oh really?" He mumbled and the next thing happened. It happened so fast I didn't have time to pull away when his arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer to him. Our faces were so close to each other again that I couldn't help my blush from being exposed.

"I'm afraid I have to say how much I adore gaining such cute reactions from you, _Tomoyo._ Who knew a girl like you could easily blush like this?" His words were said so sensually that I could feel his breath on my face. Is he underestimating me? Who does he think he is!

I could see him leaning in again, I know this pattern. I'm very aware of this situation. And oh no, I'm not going to let you do what you want with me again you pervert!

Wham!

Ha! How does my purse feel like Eriol? And—oops, I think I might have gained some unwanted attention. Oh this is bad. This is real bad. I could feel those stares coming right at me; even Jake and Luke turned their eyes back at us to see what happened.

I gulped. How could this guy just easily let me do such immature act like this! My formal lessons' teacher would be ashamed of me, but it was for the sake of self-defense, right?

I heard the gasps coming from people, but I still see many who didn't even bother looking at us. Majority of them just looked at walked away actually, but there were still a number who checked to see what was going on.

"What's going on? Is it a quarrel?"

"That guy looked pretty hurt, I wonder what happened?"

"Although this may sound a bit weird at this time, but damn that girl looks fine!"

Eriol remained silent and finally let go of me. I couldn't hold the embarrassment longer which is why by the time his hold on me loosened, I immediately pulled away from and ran out of his arms, and out of the perimeters of the campus. I feel so ashamed I can't show my face there anymore! Ugh.

What a way to start my morning. And I was just planning to get some breakfast too.

* * *

"Wow, looks like you had an interesting time ever since you left, 'Moyo."

In a great spin of coincidences, I ran all the way from the academy to where Meilin's work was. I think it had a great distance from each other considering how the diner was only a few blocks away from Orchard Residences so it also explained how tired I was from running. Currently, my good friend served the coffee in front of me and was getting my order of food for me. I was sitting on the available island counters where I could easily see her do her job.

The diner, known as _Jeffrey's_, looked pretty decent. The place wasn't packed since I assumed a lot were already in their offices or school. It was nice to feel quiet at this moment in my life.

"And here I thought my days in London would be so dandy," I groaned. My face was currently buried deep in my arms that were seated on top of the table. I could hear Meilin laugh from where she was and then the clink of the plates brought my head up again. Hooray for food, I guess.

"Aww come on, London isn't so bad. You're just not…meeting the right people, I guess." She said, picking up the ketchup bottle and handing it to me.

"Yeah, Eriol must be my bad luck charm because I'm sure that's what's been happening to me ever since I got here." I sighed, spreading some ketchup on the side of my plate for my bacon, eggs, sausages and toast dish.

"Don't feel bad, 'Moyo. Eriol's a really nice guy once you get to know him." Meilin leaned on the table in front of me, trying to cheer me up with her goofy smile.

"And I'm starting to wonder why you're friends with him." I said, then taking a bite of the sausage.

Her shoulders shook as she laughed. "It's kind of a long story but let's just say he's been of great help to me. Anyway, you haven't told me why you're here. Surely a rich kid like you didn't come here to just look around and play, right? Or is it what you guys always do?" I know her question was sincere and didn't really have malice in it. And she looked like a trustworthy friend too, so telling her might not be a problem at all. I needed a friend to talk to anyways while I'm here.

"Well, it's kind of a long story." I started.

"I have time. This place won't get more customers in a few hours anyway." She said, leaning her chin on top of her folded arm as a sign of interest for story time.

I giggled at her eagerness and decided to go for it. "Well you see, my mother wants me to look for a husband already. I couldn't go with her husband choices for me so she said that I should choose instead. She 'exiled' me here to find one for three months and if not, she threatened to close all my boutiques back in Japan." I ended, taking a sip of my cappuccino after.

"Whoa," she whistled low. "I wish I had rich people's problems! Being sent here in London just to find a husband, that's some interesting issue, girl." She gave a hearty laugh, actually finding my dilemma funny. Although I would admit, it's kind of amusing to hear that from someone too. "Well, I'm sure you came in the right place. London men are nice, one way or another; and I'm sure you'll find one in the city in no time."

I smiled. "I hope so. Three months do seem like a pretty long time."

"Hm…" She mumbled, holding a finger on top of her chin. "What if I set you up with some of my guy friends? Some of them are pretty decent, don't worry." She grinned.

"Just remember my codes 'the perfect husband'. If that fits your friends' category, then I'm totally fine with a blind date." I said. I mean, what more do I have to lose? I have to admit I do need some kind of help to find the right guy for me. Thank God for friends like Meilin.

"No problem, I have great friends in school that I'll introduce you to." She winked followed by a giggle.

"Eh? You work and at the same time study? Where do you go to school?" I asked curious.

She nodded. I saw that she was about to answer my question but was cut off when someone else called for her attention.

"Excuse me, can I order an espresso please?"

I saw from my side vision that the newly entered guy sat beside me.

"Coming right up!" Meilin cheered and left her post in front of my table.

Have I been looking at the guy for too long? Because before I realized it, he looked at me as well with his glassy, sapphire eyes.

Enchanting eyes. Very enchanting.

I was already staring, and although I'm aware that it was rude to do so, I just took a few more quick seconds to notice his somewhat messy blonde hair with light brown streaks. His brows of the same shade up with curiosity for _my_ curiosity and really, I must have looked stupid for staring with the fork still in my mouth.

Blushing furiously, I finally looked away from his eyes and I'm sure I heard him make a sound like a quick, muffled laugh.

Good God, how many times must I make a fool of myself this morning? I'm never gonna get a husband at this rate. Easy girl, easy Tomoyo. You're a Daidouji, you can do this. You've always had admirers in the past, this should be easy for you. Where's your charm, girl?

I breathed in again. Trying to ignore the feeling in me for humiliating myself again.

"Here you go, 'Drew. Sorry to keep you waiting." Meilin came, placing the guy's order in front of him.

Wait a minute, this she just call this guy _Drew_? Then this must mean…

"Thanks Mei, I hope this keeps me awake until this afternoon. I've been up all night finishing that plate. I swear Mr. Thompson has a grudge against me." I heard him say, and did I mention he has that nice accent too? It wasn't pure British accent like Jake's though, kind of like a mix of American and British. Yeah, like that.

And he just called Meilin, _Mei!_ They _must_ be together. Definitely. Oh good for her, at least she has someone for her. How envious.

"Nah, he's just giving you a hard time because you're always late during his class." Meilin laughed.

"But that was just one time!" Drew whined. "Okay fine, maybe twice…or thrice. But that doesn't give him the right to punish me with more plates, you know!" How cute. Men really do have a tendency to be childish sometimes, and it looks like English men aren't an exception either.

"Yeah, yeah. Tell that to him." Meilin rolled his eyes. Her gaze fixed upon me again and her eyes widened and wait, is that an evil smirk? Why is she like that? It's starting to get creepy. "Oh by the way," she faked a cough and grinned at him.

"I'd like to introduce you to someone Drew, she's someone who just moved in the apartment next to mine." Her gaze shifted to me again and her smile turned creepy. What? "'Moyo, this is Drew. He's a good friend of mine and we're classmates at our college." She tilted her head to me to face the guy once again so with a gulp, I gave a polite smile and turned to look at him again. So they're not together like what I expected, how stupid of me.

When I did turn, I noticed he was already looking at me with a smile. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hi." I said back. Well, that was casual, but I still like it though. It's a good thing my usual smile was back again. The one that held proper courtesy and politeness for a new acquaintance.

"My name's Andrew Parker. You can call me Drew, nice to meet you." He sat up straight and extended his hand like the other guys from awhile ago, and just like before, I accepted the offer and shook his hand with a courteous smile.

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Tomoyo Daidouji, and I'm very sorry for my rudeness awhile ago. I must have made you feel comfortable." I giggled, and I was happy that he laughed along as well after.

"Not a problem at all. I was actually a bit worried there for a second that something was on my face." He grinned. Hey, this guy's not bad at all. At least it's easy to be comfortable around him. It's the same feeling I felt the first time I met Meilin, they _were_ good friends after all.

"I'm very sorry about that," I apologized again. It's not bad to bring out good manners sometimes too.

"Well, you guys go ahead and play. Seems like people are starting to come in." Meilin interjected, and the look she gave me held meaning, I tell you. "Oh wait!" She added, she grabbed something from a near box and took out from it two pieces of plastic wrapped cookies. She then reached out her hands and gave us one each. "It's a fortune cookie my mom sent me from China, she actually sent me a lot and I think it's a good idea if I just share them with people. Here."

"Thanks Mei! I'd definitely need a good fortune right now." I heard Drew say.

"Thank you Meilin," I smiled.

"You're welcome." Meilin grinned and finally left her spot, taking orders from other people who just entered.

Drew was already unwrapping his cookie, split it in half and grabbed the little piece of paper after popping the cookie in his mouth. "Mine says: _Always give your best and you will be rewarded tremendously. Never forget to thank the people who are closest to you for you will need them soon._ Huh, strange fortune but okay. What did yours say?" He gave me an expectant look and I opened my cookie after that.

_A game begins. Keep the eyes of your heart open for they will be tested greatly. Focus and you will see, that the kind of love you want is different from the kind of you love you need._

* * *

_**end of chapter**_


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